The Big Mistake in Making Habits Stick

FREE Training: Making Habits Stick

Most people want to build good habits. There are many books preaching the benefits of habit building and countless ‘how to’ infographic PDFs on the same. However, when it comes to the people whom I’ve studied, the most important factor in actually building habits that stick is not a matter of acquiring more information as most people think. People who’ve implemented habits that stick are people who first created a customized plan for how the habit would be implemented into their life. 

You tell me you want to integrate daily meditation, great! Do you have a plan to implement it? You want to construct a new morning routine?! Awesome! Show me your written thought process on how you want to execute it.  

You see, I’m always trying new habits and tricks to increase my productivity, energy, and joy but it’s not until I sit down and make a personalized plan to integrate my new habit that I am successful at it. If you’ve ever been guilty of 'starters syndrome’ (where you get very stoked about an idea but a few weeks later, you completely forget about it) then this will be very helpful to you.

The concepts and framework I’m going to show you below give you simple, applicable steps on what you already know: planning makes things stick. If you want to start a new habit that sticks, this is what I would tell you to do:

1. Change your personal development objectives from short term to long term

As I mentioned before, if you’ve ever suffered from starters syndrome this step is critical for you. I used to suffer from starters syndrome as well. I would see a video or read a book on personal development, get super excited about the concepts I learned for a few weeks, and ultimately forget about the whole thing in a matter of months. On some embarrassing occasions I’ve looked back on my book list and am surprised at some of the titles I’ve read. I don’t want this to happen to you. Your first step is to change the timeline for your personal development objectives. See the difference between the two approaches below and fill in the blanks to create your long-term approach:

Short term goal: I want this skill ASAP!

Versus

A long-term goal framework:

I want to have/be ______ (Level of proficiency- world class, certification level, letter grade, able to do)

at/in ______ (Topic you want to master)

by ________ (Deadline for personal development goal)

E.g. I want to be world class at public speaking by April 1^st, 2022

When you have a long-term goal it’s much easier to build and stick to habits. Long-term objectives create focus and commitment because your outcome is specific and outside your current capabilities.

Before you try to implement a new habit, make sure you are clear on your long-term personal development objectives.

 2. Attach your habits to your values or mission

Creating habits to improve your life or master a skill is difficult work. However, when the outcome of your discipline and sacrifice result in fulfilling your personal mission or satisfying a deeply important value of yours, the likelihood of you successfully keeping your habit increases dramatically. Basically, when something important to you is on the line, you’re more likely to stick to your habits.

A common mistake people make when creating new habits is relying on motivation or curiosity. Those are great while they last, but they won’t always be around to drive your behavior. Your habits need be attached to something meaningful to you. For example, if your mission is to help people lose weight and get the body they want, then sticking to a habit of eating well yourself will be that much easier because it directly relates to you being a role model for your clients. If one of your values is joy, attaching your habit of daily outdoor walks to fulfilling that value will create a powerful association in your brain, and help you stick to that habit.

With the above concepts in mind you're ready to dive into my Making Habits Stick Framework:

Making Habits Stick Framework

Keep up the good work. I know if you'd made it this far in the post you're serious about your personal development. Well done for that. See you next time!

Stay awesome,

Joey